Learn more about the Soul Care Institute team.

The following is a sampling of our teaching team.

Fil Anderson

Fil Anderson is executive director of Journey Resources, based in Greensboro, North Carolina. He’s a frequent conference speaker, spiritual director, and directs retreats and workshops nationally and internationally. A member of the pastoral staff of St. Mark’s Church and the Spiritual Care Team for Samaritan’s Purse, he provides on-site soul care to their staff and volunteers. Fil is also a member of the Board of Trustees at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. He is the author of Running on Empty: Contemplative Spirituality for Overachievers (Waterbrook) and Breaking the Rules: Trading Performance for Intimacy with God (InterVarsity). He also contributed to Transformation of a Man’s Heart: Reflections on the Masculine Journey(InverVarsity).

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Fuller Theological Seminary, he also completed the Graduate Program in Christian Spiritual Guidance at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. Fil worked with Young Life for twenty-five years, serving as area director and regional director before becoming national director of training. He and his wife, Lucie, live in Greensboro and are the parents of three adult children. Avid beach lovers, they frequent Wrightsville Beach, NC as often as possible.

HOWARD BAKER

Howard Baker joined the faculty of Denver Seminary in 2006 as instructor in Christian formation. He has been an adjunct faculty member since 1995. Together with Dr. Bruce Demarest in 1999, he began the Seminary’s certificate program in evangelical spiritual guidance. In addition, he has served as a board member for Spiritual Formation Alliance and Young Life Africa, offers spiritual direction and leads retreats. Currently, he is a board member and teacher for Nexus International, on the faculty of the Soul Care Institute, and on the Board of Potters Inn, a soul care ministry.

He earned a BA from Texas Christian University, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a certificate in spiritual direction from St. Thomas Seminary. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction from Fuller Seminary and is a member of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, the Evangelical Theological Society, Spiritual Directors International, and the Evangelical Spiritual Directors Association.

Prior to coming to Denver Seminary, Mr. Baker served Young Life, a mission to adolescents, as an area and regional director; was a chaplain at the Denver Rescue Mission; co-taught the Vincentian Formation Program for spiritual directors; and was adjunct faculty at Fuller Seminary. He has taught as a visiting faculty member at St. Meinard Seminary, Summitt Bible College, Colorado Christian University, and Evangelical Theological College in Ethiopia. He has authored Soul Keeping and The One True Thing, contributed to The Holy Spirit: An Unfinished Agenda, The Transformation of a Man’s Heart,Giving Ourselves to Prayer,The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, and was consulting editor for Between Heaven and Earth: Prayers and Reflections that Celebrate an Intimate God. He has written articles for Christianity, Discipleship Journal, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, Kindred Spirit, and is a section editor for Conversations Journal.

Doug & Adele Calhoun

Rev. Adele Calhoun is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.A.). Her ministry experience covers InterVarsity staff (local and international) and church pastoral staff, as well as being a spiritual director for over 20 years. Adele has taught as adjunct faculty for Wheaton College, Northern Baptist Seminary and for Selah (a Spiritual Direction Training program in Massachusetts). She authored The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us, Invitations From God, andco-authored True You (all from IVP). Adele’s passion is for people to move beyond religion to a connection with Jesus that unites both their head and their heart in service and love of others.

Rev. Dr. Doug Calhoun received his M.Div. and D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. His ministry similarly spans InterVarsity (local and international) and being a pastor, as well as being a spiritual director. As a pastor, he has traveled to six continents resourcing national churches, leading mission teams, serving on boards and forming or strengthening mission partnerships. Doug’s passion is to wed the “being” of our deepening heart’s journey with the missional “doing” that impacts the whole world with the love and grace of Jesus.

Doug and Adele are co-pastors of Redeemer Community Church in Needham, MA, and are certified as Enneagram trainers through Jerome Wagner, PhD, at Loyola University. They have presented Enneagram workshops for churches in the US, the Dominican Republic, and Austria.

Tara Owens

Tara was born in Montreal to British parents who moved to Canada for a better life for their growing family. Canadian by birth and British by blood, she has also lived in Raleigh, North Carolina; Washington, DC; Arlington, Virginia and, now, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Tara discerned the call to spiritual direction while completing her Masters of Theological Studies in Spiritual Formation at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. Like many spiritual directors, she was captured by the incredible privilege it is to companion someone as they discern the voice of the Loving Creator in their lives.

Before pursuing her Spiritual Formation degree, Tara was a professional print journalist. Her love of story drew her to news reporting and then to political journalism. It was that very ear for narrative that God used to bring her to spiritual direction, where she helps others make sense of the story in which they are living, and connect it up with the Larger Story of redemption and life that the Trinity is weaving into human history.

In addition to her journey as a spiritual director, Tara is blessed to marry her love for spiritual formation with her love for the written word as Senior Editor of Conversations Journal. Founded by Larry Crabb, David Benner and Gary Moon, Conversations is a forum for authentic spiritual transformation where authors such as Dallas Willard and Eugene Peterson discuss the patterns and practice of spiritual growth. Tara is also the founder and Director of Anam Cara Ministries.

Steve & Gwen Smith

Stephen W. Smith and his wife Gwen are the Co-Founders of Potter’s Inn. Steve and Gwen have been married since 1980 and spent 32 years ministering together to the hearts of people around the world. Steve has pastored churches in Kentucky, North Carolina and the Netherlands. Steve studied at Lenoir Rhyne University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Fuller Seminary. Gwen has a BS from the University of North Carolina and is a Registered Nurse. Gwen pursued studies at Denver Seminary where she fulfilled the 2 year program for Soul Care. She is a spiritual director.

Steve and Gwen lead retreats throughout the world for leaders in the marketplace as well as ministry. A focus for Steve and Gwen is their work with individuals and couples in “Soul Care Intensives”-a private retreat with leaders. Steve and Gwen speak focus much of their time and work with missionaries. Gwen, being a child of missionaries, was born and raised in Ethiopia. Together, she and Steve have lived overseas in Europe planting churches before the fall of Communism.

Steve is the author of numerous books in the area of soul care and spiritual formation: The Lazarus Life, The Jesus Life, Soul Custody, Embracing Soul Care, Transformation of a Man’s Heart, Soul Shaping, and Inside Job: Doing The Work Within The Work.

CHuck DeGroat

Chuck is Professor of Pastoral Care and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary Holland MI, as well as co-founder of Newbigin House of Studies, an urban and missional training center in San Francisco.

Chuck has 20 years of experience in pastoral ministry, seminary training and clinical counseling. He is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America and a member of City Classis. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, an M.Div. M.A from Reformed Theological Seminary and a BA from Dordt College. Chuck also serves as a counselor, spiritual director and coach.

Chuck has authored, Leaving Egypt: Finding God in theWilderness Places, The Toughest People to Love, and Wholeheartedness writing about the intersections of psychology, theology and Christian spirituality. Chuck is passionate about spiritual and emotional formation for the sake of mission in our changing culture and world.

Chuck has been married to Sara for 24 years and has two daughters – Emma and Maggie. He loves spending time with students and his family, traveling to new places, or finding a new extraordinary place to eat.

Joe Walters

Executive Director of the Soul Care Institute

Joe and his wife June joined the staff at Potter’s Inn in October 2014 where Joe currently serves as the Executive Director of the Soul Care Institute. Before joining the team at Potter’s Inn, Joe was the Dean of Spiritual Formation at Colorado Christian University where he served in that role for four years. Prior to coming to CCU, Joe was on the Young Life staff for 33 years serving in California, Colorado, Texas and the final eight years as the Vice President for Latin America. Joe has a B.S. from San Jose State University and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also a graduate of the Transforming Center program under Ruth Haley Barton and has a Certificate in Spiritual Transformation from Northern Seminary.

Joe, of course, is not alone in his endeavors. June is by his side in all that he does. Her position at the Institute includes helping facilitate retreats and providing soul care and spiritual direction. Her calm, reassuring personality encourages students to go deeper, both in conversation with her and in their own spiritual journey.

Joe and June have been happily married since 1977. They have three grown, married children and eight grandchildren.

Lindsey Rowe

Program Director

Lindsey has lived in Colorado Springs with her husband, Mike, for the last 7 years. Before that, she was in various places around the globe, either with Mike or on her own, serving in missions, ministry and marketplace. Her time in missions led her to a deeper passion to helping people discover and renew their own calling. Seeing firsthand the despair that burnout could lead to, she knew she wanted to do something to help others build a strong foundation in their faith.

Lindsey joined the Soul Care Institute team in January 2016 as she was completing her M.A. in Pastoral Counseling. She has gone through the transformational journey of the Institute and has a certificate in Soul Care from both Potter's Inn and Fuller Seminary.

At the Institute, Lindsey works side by side with Joe to help create an amazing and life changing experience for the students who step into the journey. She loves being on the front line and getting to work directly with each of the students as well as working behind the scenes to ensure each student gets what they need.

Outside of the Soul Care Institute, Lindsey loves her "second day job" of offering spiritual direction, hikes with her large fluffy white Pyrenees names Ella, and watching her two children grow into the beautiful young people God has created them to be.

Anne Broyles

Assistant Program Director

Anne was a Cohort 2 member of the Soul Care Institute. She was raised in Texas, but later followed her desires by living in Colorado for 16 years. She returned to TX three years ago and is delighted to be part of the Soul Care Institute team.

Anne has been a student of spiritual formation for many years, serving on staff at a retreat ministry and a small church in Pagosa Springs, CO. She received her MA in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Spring Arbor University in Michigan.

She loves seeing lives transformed, learning to walk in deeper intimacy with Jesus, and loves to walk along-side others in the stories God is constantly weaving. Anne misses the beauty of the mountains but finds deep joy and gratitude in her friends and family, spending time in the outdoors, reading, walking her Black Lab Brenni and anticipating what new things God will reveal.

After 48 years of teaching leadership courses to pastors and other Christian leaders I am convinced that nothing is more needed than what the Soul Care Institute is doing. Leaders who are deeply involved in cultivating their relationship with Christ will be more effective as people and as leaders.

— Dr. Sid Buzzell, Dean of the School of Theology at Colorado Christian University